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Resident criticizes new sign‑in wording, mayor says agenda items still open to speakers
Summary
A resident, Jackie Toops, objected to recent wording added to citizen‑comment rules that she said could bar late arrivals from addressing agenda items; the mayor responded that citizens may speak on agenda items without pre‑signing and said the wording will be removed.
Jackie Toops of 613 North 14th Street told the council she had reviewed the agenda and discovered a change adding a requirement that citizens sign in to speak on both non‑agenda and agenda items. She said the change, which appeared on the July 27 agenda, risked denying late arrivals their opportunity to speak and said the council had not sought public input before adding the language.
"When we speak on agenda items, this is an item that is generally gonna be voted on," Toops said, arguing that councils should not be given the power to deny citizens a voice. She urged the council to remove the language and to treat citizens with respect, saying, "You work for us. We don't work for you."
Mayor Jeffrey P. Darby replied that "any citizen who wants to speak on an agenda item does not have to sign in before the meeting" and said the phrase should be removed from the rules so as not to be misinterpreted. City Manager Manny De La Rosa said he had drafted the clarification based on rules adopted earlier in 2025 and that his intent was to help citizens by explaining existing procedures, apologizing that the wording had caused confusion.
The exchange ended without a formal council vote on policy wording; the mayor said staff would remove the language and that citizens who want to speak on an agenda item will be allowed to do so when the item comes up. The council also reminded attendees that comment time is generally limited to three minutes unless extended by the mayor.
